Are you an adventurer? A crazy inventor? A brave and daring swashbuckler? Well, Sapphi is the faction for you! Sapphi is all about discovery, exploration, and the wonders of invention. They have been the leaders of innovation for 3,000 years, providing Prismatia with life, light, and the occasional explosion! Come along! Swim with mystical mermaids, explore with hobbits and dwarves, climb Eldritch mountains, fight pirates, discover new realms, and change the World!
The Sapphi are the chaotic neutral faction of Prismatia. They are represented by the colors Royal Blue and Navy Blue and their symbol is a cut diamond. They resist and tame nature with their advanced Steampunk technology and aesthetics. They participate in mineral hunts, feats of strength, scavenging, hunting, and survival. The Sapphi are loosely organized, but are cunning innovators. They are styled similar to the Ottoman empire, with wider Arabic influences. They’re natural explorers, whimsical, reckless, overconfident, and even overzealous at times.
The Sapphi are primarily seafaring people that have settled many islands, coastlines, and riverfronts. Large bodies of water are not very far from Sapphi settlements. They have also constructed large artificial reefs, offshore platforms, and underwater cities, cementing their control over the oceans of Prismatia. They are expert merchants, with total control over the trade routes and markets of the world, brokering clever deals and clandestine contracts. The Sapphi are also a highly scientific society, with lots of wild experimentation and constant exploration of uncharted territories, expanding their power and influence.
The Sapphi economy is really the economy of the whole of Prismatia, deeply integrating themselves into vast supply chains and connecting distant marketplaces via their navigational prowess. It is rumored that Sapphi wealth rivals even that of the Everstar, however, it is spread throughout the free market and changes hands so regularly that book keeping is almost impossible. The ideals of the marketplace, commerce, trade, and personal freedom form the backbone of the Sapphi society and bond together many Kindred from different walks of life, manifesting into trade unions, mobsters, gangs, pirates, contractors, privateers, and those seeking a living with steady work.
As a testament to their Laissez-faire economics, the Sapphi control the most advanced technology on Prismatia. Core to which is the Almasium furnace, which converts cut and polished Almasium crystals into massive amounts of heat to then create large amounts of steam for useful work. Steam is the signature of Sapphi technology throughout the world of Prismatia, and because of the vast reach of their trading empire, it can be found in even the most unlikely of places. The Sapphi are also skilled alchemists, improving their metalcraft and the wellbeing of those willing to pay. Sapphi technology also avoids the outright use of magic, as they view the practice as cheating or dishonest.
The Sapphi are a loose confederation of polities that control city-states, ports, fortresses, and outposts, all of which have their own way of governing and no two are alike. However, this unlikely grouping of misfits and outcasts were bonded together by their shared values of high moral code and low ethical standards. It is not uncommon for legal disputes to be settled by dueling or other forms of legitimate fighting, as codified laws are few and far between. To be chosen for the rare occasion of holding a public office, one must endure the system of challenges to be proven honorable enough to uphold the true meritocratic values of the Sapphi.
Challenges are meant to test abstract thought, critical thinking, and other virtues of the Sapphi before anyone can hold a position of political power among them. These challenges are often extremely dangerous and risky endeavours to ensure that those who seek authority are worthy enough to wield it. Challenges are very much a public event to much fanfare, with the challenge to be chosen for the representative to the Conclave of Prismatia being the most eventful, and is held every ten years.
Historically, the Sapphi have mostly inhabited the oceans. However, when the Sapphi finally settled onto the land, they brought their naval traditions with them, almost literally in some cases. They have large, amphibious ships that are capable of crossing dry land and even diving deep underwater. Supporting fleets of these vessels are a network of outposts, shipyards, and off-shore complexes all staffed by a professional engineer corps ready, willing, and able to serve. Primarily, the Sapphi use their large military industrial complex to secure trade routes and enforce contracts, and are usually waging some form of trade war to ensure the flow of goods and services throughout Prismatia.
Whether it’s sailing the high seas on a frigate, racing down the dunes on a sand rail, or long hauling raw materials with the mightiest of locomotives, the Sapphi are experts on the diverse collection of vehicles they use to move throughout their territory. At the core of each of these amazing machines is an Almasium furnace, churning out an incredible amount of steam power needed to cross the wild fringes of the world of Prismatia. The many different cultures of the Sapphi take pride in their rides, and for many it’s a status symbol for the prosperity of themselves or their community.
Before Almasium, steam engines relied on burning wood or coal, both of which were unsustainable at large scales. With the invention of the Almasium furnace, an entire culture of inventors, engineers, and entrepreneurs was created almost overnight. Now, Almasium is the bedrock of Sapphi society and they fight ferociously to maintain their way of life from politics to the marketplace.